On the road? It doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t squeeze a WOD in. Sure some circumstances may make it virtually impossible to workout, but more often than not it takes some discipline, desire, and maybe a few logistical hurdles to get into an affiliate while you are travelling. If you can’t make it to a gym or affiliate, that also doesn’t mean you can’t do a WOD. First when you are on the go plan ahead by packing some essentials that leave you with little excuse to not use your fitness. Pack the following items for sure: Jump rope, workout clothes and shoes, and a mobility ball. That’s all you really need. Have more room to spare? Throw in your wrist wraps or knee sleeves, and if you are checking a bag then maybe throw in a set of rings (I almost always do). With rings and a little exploring you might find a park or school with goalposts or a fitness trail to hang them for a quick outdoor workout.

As long as you have a rope, a phone, and some space you can easily hit an endless array of bodyweight combos. Look at the left side of our website for “Bodyweight Travel WOD’s” for different ideas. Grab your phone for a timer and get to it. If you brought rings and have a hotel with some dumbbells then get creative and if you can’t follow our gym’s programming then see how you can modify and sub movements/equipment to put together something that will leave you bent over gasping for air while your hotel-mates shake their head at you in horror for actually leaving some sweat behind in the workout room.

If you go to an affiliate then read below for tips on proper etiquette and make the effort to reach out in advance and just go with the flow. Buy a t-shirt if you like the gym. As an affiliate owner, we love that and will waive the drop-in fee for the day if you buy a shirt. If you do that and have a great attitude, they might even waive the fee for additional drop-in’s. That said, expect to pay. No different than going to any other business, you would expect to pay for their service and equipment so don’t assume a drop-in is free. I highly encourage every experienced CrossFitter to take advantage of going to another affiliate or working out where they can while on the road. That keeps you on track with your overall heath and wellness and in the process you might just meet some cool people and have a more memorable trip.

This past Saturday was the Stoneway CF Resolution Revolution 2012 team throwdown. SRCF had 3 teams competing (one team was a SRCF and CF Basic mash-up) and all did quite well. Out of over 20 teams Rob and Rona (Team RoRo) took 10th place, Jeremy and Michelle (Team Nuts and Butts) took 4th, and Mark and Amy (Team Shark Sucker) landed on the podium with a 3rd place finish. All won some prizes and had a great time throwing down through two team WOD’s. (Click on the link above to see the workouts)

Besides our competitors a huge thanks goes out to Greg, Lindsay, Liane, Debra, Dustin, and Kim who all volunteered or were there as cheerleaders through the rain, sleet, snow and sun. It was awesome to watch everyone represent Team Squatch and also see the fun that team WOD’s produce. Congrats!

Speaking of teams, for those interested in team events on 2/11 is another two WOD challenge. I have been working with CF Gravity Janes the past two months (they created and are leading the whole effort) and several other local area boxes to put together a local CrossFit league. To get things started they are hosting a throwdown on 2/11 at GJ’s. It will be an event with teams of 4 competing (2 men and 2 women) and it will be one of two test events to work out the kinks for what will become our own “CrossFit League” later this spring/summer. It is going to be called Box League Northwest and the plans are for an inter-box league running from June to September (dates may be adjusted).

My hope is that Team Squatch will field a team of 6 individuals (possibly a 2nd if there is interest) and it will need to have an equal number of guys and gals who can RX most workouts that could come our way. One Saturday each month there will be a home and away team that “plays” each other by competing in a couple WOD’s. There will be a buy-in for each team member to join, prizes, a website, casual atmosphere, and a commitment to having fun and building community. A schedule will eventually be published on the website to be created and teams will compete with those on the team that can make each event. Each team will have a captain that serves as overall lead and person who decides which four tackle each event in a given match. I plan on initially serving as team captain and will be looking to build the team(s) for our box.

What better way to stay focused on training, get some healthy competition, and grow camaraderie? More details to come. Stay tuned and let me know if you are in for either 2/11 or later this summer.

These two WOD’s are influenced by the Final Individual Event of the 2010 CF Games. We slightly modified them to make up for not having a 15ft. wall to climb over as well as using longer time caps to allow everyone to get more work done.

A few pics from the 2010 Games Final Individual Event last year. Can’t wait to go back again for another “epic-cation”:

One of the Again Faster “Beat the Team to Win” Series WOD’s, this bodyweight couplet combo is fast yet effective. Good to see an emphasis by all of you on fully open hips on box jumps and the progress tonight by either moving to a band or a new color, a higher box, or going RX’d. Pretty cool after the WOD to realize you just did 100 box jumps and 100 pull-ups.

Do you travel? Do you CrossFit? Do you have an iPhone? When you travel do you search for a CrossFit Affiliate to hit up for a WOD? If yes then check out this cool new iPhone app to help locate a box, contact info, and website (I checked and we are in it, thus it is “cool”):

Sean busting out 174 reps for the 2 minute Double-Under Challenge at the windy Wild Horses Monument at the Columbia River Basin Scenic Overlook:

Sean and I returned today from Spokane where we completed the USA Weightlifting Level 1 Sports Performance Certification. We spent the weekend having fun reviewing Oly lifting basics for a day and a half, and lifting a little weight; all while filling the time chilling out, searching for good food, a spicy hotel WOD, a rest stop challenge, lots and lots of coffee, plenty of fast food chain and gun shop sightings, and a chance meeting with Buddy the Elf’s sister at a downtown Starbucks. Seriously, she worked there. Straight from the North Pole, she was amazed we were from the “city” where things must be “shiny and sparkly”. All she needed was the yellow tights and green hat. Were it not for our like of road trips, CrossFit and all things mundane we might have gouged our eyeballs out over there.

Seriously we did have fun, learned some new cues and progressions, and realized the quality of the CrossFit certifications we have attended has set the bar high. Simply put while this cert was valuable in it’s own way, it doesn’t hold a candle to the CrossFit Olympic Lifting Certification. That said we are glad to have learned what USAW provides coaches and athletes in the way of tools to better teach as well as learn the skills required for weightlifting (AKA the Olympic Lifts).

This week has some great WOD’s in store and will start incorporating a few advanced skills and lifts needed to work on for those thinking of Sectionals. On Saturday the class format will have a Sectionals Prep WOD and a General WOD. For those desiring to compete in February (tentative date), then the Sectionals Prep WOD will be for you. By the way, you need to let us know if you plan to compete as our “training camp” will be starting soon and I want to know who this includes so I can evaluate skills and program accordingly. The rest of the week will cover AMRAP’s, Oly lifts, gymnastics skills, a benchmark, strength work, and a birthday WOD. Who’s ready for some fun?

Happy Birthday Rona! Time for a little birthday WOD. She hates double unders, loves rope climbs and doesn’t mind deadlifts unless they are heavy. Today these were heavy for many. Good to see several of you tackle that rope. I saw three different leg/foot combinations tonight with Dustin, Michelle, and Sean and all were effective. While there are many different styles to climb a rope, pick one or two techniques, practice them and use those feet and legs.

Next week we will have a joint birthday WOD for Lorraine and Andrea (they shared the same birthday yesterday) so looks like I need to get creative again.

Travel Notes:

Jorge is on the road this week for work and made the website of CrossFit Fresno. He dropped in and drew one of his favorite WOD’s: “Grace”. I think I should have emailed them and asked them to make it “Griff” since we know how much he loves running.

When you travel or go on vacation it’s pretty likely you will be able to find a CrossFit affiliate nearby. Check in advance on the Affiliate Blog to see where you can visit and fit in a drop in WOD. Usually the policy of most good boxes are welcoming to drop-in’s of experienced CrossFitters, and they usually charge either a small drop-in fee or ask that you buy a shirt. Michelle and I regularly drop in at a box on virtually every single trip or vacation that we can fit in time for a visit. For sure we always fit in a WOD, but who wants to work out in a hotel “fitness” room when you can instead walk into an affiliate filled with other CF’ers who are just as eager and at the same time sick to their stomach terrified of what their daily workout is going to be? I love it precisely because of that feeling that someone else programmed the daily workout, as well as it’s a chance to meet others in the community and make new friends. For those about to go on vacations, consider a local box and drop in for a workout.

Nutrition:

We have 2 “loaner” copies to check out of The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf. If you are interested, you can check them out via the SnoRidge Library. See me or Michelle. You will get 3 weeks to check it out and then it needs to come back home for the next person. I highly recommend this book. It literally can change your life!

It’s in the books! Sean went and competed in the 85kg Men’s class and turned in a performance of heart and determination that should make all of us at SnoRidge proud! He posted a total of 179kg in the two lifts and 180 reps in the Triplet for an Event Total score of 359, placing 23rd in his division (out of 27). He is officially a badass in my book for having the Cajones to step in front of a crowd and face the stresses of performance, competition, work capacity, and altitude. Congratulations on an incredible job and for persevering under tough circumstances. Scoring a total including a bodyweight snatch is damn impressive.

The event was spread out by weight class over three days. The field consisted of 165 competitors (61 Women and 104 Men). However this field of competitors contained beasts of all sizes. Men and Women’s divisions included previous CrossFit Games competitors, past Games champions, and top regional performers. Olympians, medalists, USAW National Team members and Olympic lifters of both experience or reputation. Some names were truly big ones for their respective communities. It was also made up of CrossFitters and Oly athletes who were brand new to either competition or the opposite of their chosen sport. All of these athletes put on the first combined USA Weightlifting and CrossFit event of its kind. It was extremely well run and organized overall and the location was well suited for both athletes and spectators. Besides the soul sucking effects of high altitude there were no major complaints.

I was honored to be Sean’s coach for this event and it made me reflect at several points throughout the weekend about my role and what Sean was preparing for. Knowing his capabilities and previous PR’s and lifts, as his coach it was going to be a tough task to balance the desire to make a PR lift with the prospect of staying a little lighter so that the initial lift could go up on the board successfully. Keeping him loose, prepped, positive, and confident in what he was going to do was really fun for me. For anyone who has been part of an individual athletic competition, it is far different from team sports. In team sports you can always rely on the performance of the team. Sure you will be on the spot at times in the game, but the pressure of competition and judging is shared. In an event like this, you are exposed for all to watch. In front of your friends, family, loved ones, fellow athletes, and strangers you are in the spotlight. Alone, you must make the lift or face failure. What you do is solely resting on your shoulders; literally in the case of an Olympic lifting competition.

Pushing through a WOD like the Triplet is the same thing. Like any CrossFit competition, you have to go beyond comfortable and stay there; pushing through a constant state of pain, anxiety, fatigue. You must do it in front of people, as well as with a judge who is there to score your reps and take some away. This is hard to do. You aren’t in the safety of your box, counting your own reps. There is an audience, the set up is unfamiliar and the other athletes are surely as good if not better. They all want to beat you and beat each other. The intensity takes on a higher level and the prospect of finishing low or last pushes everyone to better results.

Factor all of the above in and what Sean did this weekend can be summed up in one over-used but perfect word: EPIC.

I’ll try to answer that question here. In short? It’s a WOD, a benchmark even. It’s 1000 barbell front squats for time. At altitude. Epic suckfest. It’s a test more of your mind than your body, as willing yourself to keep climbing is the tedious part. This afternoon I accompanied good friends Derek, Mike, and Kristen from CrossFit Morristown/ CrossFit Bernardsville up “The Incline” in Manitou Springs, CO. It’s a very visible, very steep trail cut straight up a small mountain. It gains 2000 ft. in elevation in 1 mile. It is a series of stairs made mostly from railroad ties but also rocks, dirt, and even metal piping. It is hard. Oh and did I mention steep?

I was initially under the illusion this was a run. Having read the story above about Olympians training on it I was seriously interested. Constantly varied right? As we drove over late this afternoon Mike pointed out the ‘scar” in the forrest on the small mountain in the Rocky foothills. As it snapped into view I instantly said something to the effect of “Are you f’ing kidding me?” From that point until we found parking at the trailhead the conversation drifted from a half inspired pep talk of doing the mountain to “what coffee shop is nearby to go to instead”. Running out of excuses we finally found parking and headed out. After a few words of warning from some locals we were ready to get this over with. Looking up the endless set of stairs going practically straight up the mountain we could make out lots of people all plodding away up the slope.

We started our watches and one by one started running. Shuffling along, stair after stair I ran. Maybe 3 minutes in I thought, wow it’s kinda hard to breathe. At around the 4 minute mark I thought, “my heart might explode. WTF!” Feeling like I was completing “Fran” in my lungs and with my head starting to get dizzy I quickly looked up and saw that our group also stopped running at the same point. We all began walking basically in a file up the stairs. We walked, climbed, scrambled, pulled with our arms and went up, up, up. Every time someone would stop to catch their breath the threat of being passed or getting behind made us go again. After reaching the false summit we were warned about we picked up the pace (if you can call it that) and tried to push through to the end.

After 40 minutes (40:44 for me) we were all done. Not bad considering 50 min. plus is expected for people not from here. Standing atop the mountain we could see all of Colorado Springs in a beautiful view. After a brief stay and a handstand or two, we all ran the 4 mile Barr Trail back down. Great experience, great challenge, and great memory. Despite the pain our quads and glutes endured, it was well worth it. What’s for tomorrow?